PERIODICAL SYSTEM OF ART BY BULAT
GALEYEV

Aesthetics has been striving for a long time to find out if there exist any order in
the family of Muses, is there any logic in the development of this "family"?
Let's remember in connection with it the classical works by Aristotle, Lessing and, more
nearly to our time, by
E. Souriau [1],
M. Kagan [2]. The
problem has become more complicated now, and some researchers express even an opinion of
full disintegration of the arts union - because there are a lot of them now, and
connections between arts disappeare
(A. Moles[3]).
The author has also
made his own contribution, proposing kind of "periodic system" of arts, which,
of course, is not so strict as that of D. I. Mendeleyev in chemistry, but is sufficiently
motivated and rich in content. In this scheme (fig. 1) the arts
differentiation is initially defined according to polar oppositions "figurative -
expressive" and "visual - audio". Such presentation of the opposites
justifies itself anyway, for it clearly illustrates mutual connection of the opposites
which characterizes system in its integrity.

Fig.1.

Considering genesis of art, the initial result of "homo sapiens" artistic
activity is known as syncretic art (placed in the center of the scheme). In the process of
division of labour and specialization of artistic activity, there occurs the objectivation
of various essential man's powers resulting in the form of independent arts: music
(1); architecture, ornament (2); painting, sculpture (3); art of
word (4). But, although being progressive in its basis, acqusitions of the species
indepedence contains in itself deep-laid contradictions. It appears to be dialectically
linked with constant aspiration to preserve that complexity of reality reflection which
was inherent in syncretic art, when perception was just as integral as being the case of
direct contact with the world and aesthetical apprehension of the nature. This aspiration
favoured preservation of the bisensory sign in the actor (7) and choreographic (8)
artsforms, while the combined "reflection-expression" sign was preserved in
song-folklore (5) and applied (6) arts. Moreover, at the existed level of social and
material development, the autonomous arts which have assumed independent status may be
intentionally combined in various synthetic combinations (3+4 - books illustrating;
2+3 - monumental art; 1+4 - vocal music; 1+2 - "musical
graphics", and everyting taken together - drama and musical theatre).

Thus, even at this stage it can be traced the paradoxical (dialectical) interrelation
of the seemingly polar processes: differentiations and synthesis of arts. More precisely
it can be defined as "species reproduction" of arts by means of creating of new
synthetic forms. Such dialectics become more obvious nowadays.

The technical stores of arts are being constantly renewed. This has become particulary
evident in this century. The opportunities offered by new technology have been immediately
put to use to satisfy paralelly growing artistic requirements. And so with traditional
arts have been preserved, "by side" with them (as shown at the system of arts
schemesee fig. 2) new art forms begin to emerge which do not copy the old ones, but
coninue to develop their possibilities owing to the potential of a new artificial means of
audio-visual communication. Taken as a whole they form the new outer layer of the system
of arts, having its own specifics and language.

For the expanded system of arts it is also clearly seen that it can preserve its unity
only by means of maximum increase of the art-to-art interaction forces. More than that,
not being autonoums kinds of art, the majority of artistic activity items singled out in
the outer cells become vitable only when they enter in the synthetic formations
characterized by the action of the abovementioned intrasystem links (shown as arrows). Let
us note that these arrows in the scheme are not always two-directional, sometimes they
indicate the preferable direction of particular link. This manifests the specific
character of audio communication in human intercourse : if audio arts (radio, electronic
music, etc.) may pretend to autonomy, their visual analogues (movies, video art, etc) have
to involve sound.

Some kind of "functional asymmetry" is observed also between arts lying on
the opposite sides relative to vertical axis. Let us consider first the left side of the
scheme, where new figurative arts are. They, as it is known, use reproduction technique
(copying, broadcasting), and inside them the functions of artist and engineer are
separated. Turning to the right side, i.e. to new expressive arts, one can see that the
technique here is used to produce new, unprecedented images and sounds, the creation of
new art tools and art work itself being fused in one. Such situation is unusual in art
culture, for not only the art work itself is unique, but so is the tool to create this
work with. It provides explanation for seemingly paradoxial fact of time lag of the new
arts on the scheme right side (light-music, electronic music, etc.) from their left-side
neighbours (cinema, radio, etc.), though, for example, the idea of light-music appeared
far earlier than that of cinema.

To reform such "undemocratic" situation in the system of arts, computer
technology appears to be helpful lately. It belongs to productive technique, for it can
create images and sounds on "tabula rasa", so to say, on the blank screen,
starting from zero point. This concerns both concrete and abstract images (sounds). Just
as a revolver in America of the last century appeared to be sort of "instrument of
democracy", levelling in rights both strong and weak men, so computers, jokes apart,
play now the similar role, compensating the consequences of "functional
asymmetry" in the system of arts.

In general, now it is hard to foresee what changes will be brought in our
"periodical system" by computerization of artistic culture. As it could happen,
we should to add one more outer layer in our scheme of expanding Universe of arts. It
expands but from other side shrinks at the same time because of uniting function of
computer technique which can synthesize any sound or image. Their complete synthesis is
represented in a new genre of the so-called "multi-media", as if imitating on a
new level the initial syncretism, with all its attributes: bifunctionality, bisensority,
washing out boundaries between art and reality ("virtual" in this case).

Futurologists like to joke: it is hard to predict, especially the future. The author is
confident in the correctness of his expanded system of arts at present conditions, to the
extent of how the specifics of its "cells" has been tested in his own
experiments. The beginning of computer era in the art should bring new and more unexpected
discoveries. But some things are beyond doubt:

- the arising of new arts, including those using modern technical means does not
abolish the former ones (just as the birth of Repin or Picasso does not cancel the
creative works by Rafaele or Rublev);

- art will reserve its function to reflect the reality, though it is probable that this
function will be implemented by means of artificial (synthesized) sound and image. The
debatable elements of "computer art" would be used in the play form of
man-computer contact ("interactive art", as it is called in the West now);

- the Universe of arts will not disintegrate into isolated and homeless artistic
actions (as it was supposed by A. Moles), because the growing systemic set of them keeps
its integrity owing to intensification of arts interaction. This integrity reflects
integrity of the man itself and that of the world;

- more than that, it is probable that the only true and conincing indicator of art
progress consists in exactly this quantitative growth of the system. For it results in
growing number of those who can try himself in creative work, being able now to take part
in any accessible arts, both old and new ones - TV, light-music, videoart, computer or
laser graphics...

- it cannot be denied that among all revolutions the only one has justified itself
completely - scientific and technological revolution. And I would like to join poet
A. Voznesensky who wrote: "Long live scientific and technological revolution,
developing into spiritual one"!

The above conclusions are not merely spectulative. They are based on practical results
have been obtained both in field of art and in field of technology for more than 35 years
of activity of the workshop "Prometheus" (now transformed into Institute of
experimental aesthetics "Prometheus" associated with Kazan State Technical
University ).